Parting

Upon hearing this, Su Yao remained silent and simply lowered his head.

Seeing this, Gui Hong smiled gently, stepped forward, and lifted Su Yao's head with both hands, just as Su Yao had done when he was a child, staring into Su Yao's Divine Dao:

"Back then, our patriarch Yun Zhongzi resided in Zhongnan and observed the world, whereupon the Rainbow Clouds appeared. Our Dao is not born from the grand trends of the world; it is self-respecting and noble, emerging from enlightenment. This is why our Rainbow Clouds Dao is detached from worldly affairs and can see the rise and fall of the Three Powers. You now bear the weight of Qixia and are in the midst of this situation, so you must learn from our patriarch's insight. Others see wind and rain and call it a natural disaster, see man-made calamities and curse them as treacherous officials, each holding their own perspective, like blind men touching an elephant. We, the disciples of Jade Pure One, should observe the world as we observe clouds from the mountains—clouds come and go, clouds disperse and gather, all within the principles of the Three Powers. Only by seeing through this can one stand firm."

He paused, a faint trace of worry flashing in his eyes:

"The fall of Proclaiming Earth and the counterattack of the Witchcraft Dao are just the beginning. From now on, you will deal not only with the various Witch Department, but also with the Yuanfu, Yang Palace, Confucian School, Buddhist School, and the various lineages under the Three Pure Ones School. These people each have their own doctrines and their own interests. You cannot and do not need to be enemies with every one of them, nor can you completely trust the words of any one of them. They may help the shamans today, but they may help you tomorrow; they may be enemies today, but they may be allies tomorrow. To establish yourself in Nanzhao... no, to establish yourself in this world, you cannot completely believe or completely doubt. You must consider everything from the perspective of the Three Powers: the timing of Heaven, the terrain, and the hearts of the people."

As Gui Hong finished speaking, a half-smile suddenly appeared on his face:

"These are the words that Daozheng have said to you. Since he's not here, I'll repeat them for him. Whether you remember them or do them correctly is up to you."

He paused, then added the last sentence:

"Guard yourself, cultivate your virtue, and wait for the right time to act; the opportune moment is in your hands!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yao's nose tingled, but he still mustered his composure and said:

I understand.

Then, changing the subject, he said...

"You speak of it with such lofty principles, as if it were a farewell."

Upon hearing this, Gui Hong sighed slightly, gently stroked Su Yao's forehead, then turned around, took a few steps forward with his hands behind his back, and said:

Do you remember how old I am now?

Upon hearing this, Su Yao felt a bad premonition and quickly said:

"Eight thousand... you..."

But he couldn't say the next few sentences.

Gui Hong had his back to Su Yao, and his eyes unconsciously shone with a rosy light.

"When the True Lord gave birth to me, I was neither a demon nor an evil spirit. I could be considered a spirit of heaven and earth born from the True Lord's destiny and the Golden Nature. Although I am only in the Purple Mansion, I still have a lifespan of twelve thousand years."

He paused:

"My talent is still quite good. Generally, even naturally born elves, or those of unusual species, like Nuoli, who is over ten thousand years old, only possess Four Divine Abilities and still has a long way to go before their lifespan ends. As for humans, before the third generation, it was easy for them to live for three thousand years in the Purple Mansion. However, after the Flourishing Wood faded, their lifespan was cut in half, leaving them with only fifteen hundred years. If they had some resources, they could use many spirit medicine related to the Flourishing Wood path to live for several hundred more years without any problem. But while humans can cultivate all five Divine Ability in fifteen thousand years, Nuoli might not be able to cultivate them to perfection even in fifteen thousand years."

"As for me, I am not a product of nature, and my lifespan is far shorter than that of Nuoli, who was born after thousands of years of nurturing by heaven and earth. However, my comprehension and cultivation speed are several times that of Nuoli. When I was three thousand years old, I had already achieved the Five Laws Perfection. In the past five thousand years, I have been refining my Movement Method and Daoxing, preparing for the pursuit of gold. Now, I am finally close to reaching that point."

After speaking, he turned around, and Su Yao saw that his face was full of self-mockery, and then heard him say:

"This time, I will risk a trip to Mount Zhongnan to meet the True Lord, serve True Lord for several years, and then return to Qixia to enter seclusion, awaiting the day I seek the gold."

Su Yao, puzzled, shook his head and said:

"Seeking gold is incredibly difficult, even if you were born with the destiny of True Lord and the Golden Nature, it is still difficult."

After a pause, he advised:

"Within Qixia Mountain lies the Rainbow Clouds Golden Nature, and with Qingzhu, the True Lord can observe you from his Subsidiary Rank, allowing you to seek Divine Core or even Heavenly Immortal..."

Gui Hong shook his head:

"From the very beginning of my cultivation, I had already decided that I dared not aspire to the Rainbow Cloud Fruition. After all, this near-immortal lineage is beyond my reach as a human, and I dare not touch or seek it."

He paused:

"Daozheng once told me that I should try to refine my Purple Qi or Lesser Yang, and even gave me the Dawn Light-Concealing Feather Robe to study. But my talent is not enough, and I can't learn how to refine it, let alone follow it. I can only ask for help from the remaining ones."

Su Yao was taken aback upon hearing this, and then shouted:

"Gui Hong, are you trying to kill yourself?"

He exhaled deeply and continued:

"If you don't practice the ancient methods and instead seek help from Rainbow Clouds Yu, aren't you just heading towards death?"

Gui Hong smiled calmly upon hearing this and waved his hand:

"To die seeking the Way, is that not a joy?"

He paused, and without waiting for Su Yao's reply, continued:

"My mission is accomplished; I should retire to the mountains."

After speaking, he immediately transformed into a rainbow of light and prepared to depart.

Seeing this, Su Yao hurriedly manipulated the great formation to block Gui Hong's retreat, but Gui Hong's beam of light forced him back several steps. In that short time, Gui Hong had already left Golden Ao Mountain.

Su Yao stood in front of the cave abode, gazing out of the mountains, for a long time, lost in thought, until dusk fell.

He was brought back to his senses by the faint sound of a flute coming from the direction of the octagonal pavilion halfway up the mountain. He straightened his clothes and slowly walked down the stone steps.

Before they even reached the pavilion, the flute music grew clearer and clearer. Upon closer listening, Su Yao realized it sounded like a folk tune from the Qingzhou area.

At that moment, another melody rang out, clear and melodious like a spring striking stone.

Then the sound of a pipa began, playing what appeared to be an extremely gentle southern tune, blending the lightness of the flute with the ethereal quality of the zither, creating a unique charm.

Then Yang Xiu's voice rang out, and he sang with a smile:

"Fire washes away the gold, earth forms mountains and abysses."

Two gems shining brightly, each possessing its own unique beauty.

The sword moves like stars, its aura stirs the clouds and smoke.

"Dragons soar through the snow, kites fly high in the sky."

Upon hearing the sound, Su Yao quickly stepped forward.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, one could see Zhu Xuejie and Li Siyi each wielding a wooden sword and sparring. During the contest, their robes fluttered like the wind.

Under the dim light of the octagonal pavilion, the two figures, one in red and one in yellow, moved back and forth, their movements intertwined and flitting about. The red one was like fire, and the yellow one was like gold.

The crisp sound of wooden swords clashing together harmonized with the sounds of flutes, zithers, and pipa from within the pavilion, as if it had been rehearsed beforehand.

Inside the pavilion, Zilin leaned against the railing, playing her flute. Upon seeing Su Yao arrive, she was overjoyed, but the flute music did not stop.

Beside him, Xuan Yan played the zither, completely absorbed in the music.

Ying Qi sat on the stone steps, half-embracing the pipa, her fingertips gently plucking and strumming.

Mo Li raised the bottle and drank it all in one gulp.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiu, Liu Yunhe, and a few others stood aside, carefully watching Li Siyi and Zhu Xuejie's swordsmanship competition.

Seeing this, Su Yao smiled and remained silent, for everything was understood without words.

As twilight descends, the verdant hills are shrouded in mist, and the lights of the Pear Garden reflect the afterglow of the setting sun.

A clear flute plays a tune of Qingzhou, followed by the zither, lute, and pipa.

Crimson sleeves and yellow robes divide the shadows of swords, dragons soar through the snow, vying with fragrant blossoms.

Let's not ask about tomorrow's affairs when we meet, but rather enjoy a cup of wine in the pavilion.